FRANCHISE NOTES

Falcons President Taylor Smith dismissed a rumor
yesterday that his family intended to sell the team: "I have
no idea how it all got started, but it's absolutely not
true" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 5/21)....In Minneapolis, Twins
Owner Carl Pohlad said that he entertained "two Charlotte
businessmen in the past week who remain interested in moving
the Twins" to NC. One was Charlotte Regional Baseball
Partnership Chair Johnny Harris (STAR TRIBUNE, 5/21)....In
L.A., WNBA Sparks President Johnny Buss said the chances are
"better than 50-50" that his team will move into the Staples
Center, probably in 2000, joining the Lakers, Clippers and
Kings. Previously, he had said the team would remain at the
Forum (L.A. TIMES, 5/21)....In Chicago, the MLS Fire drew
10,520 yesterday against the Galaxy, its smallest crowd of
the season (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 5/21)....Of Red Wings C Sergei
Fedorov's $12M, up-front bonus, $4.9M "most likely" will go
to the IRS (USA TODAY, 5/21)....ESPN's Peter Gammons
reported that while the Padres "are working so hard" to try
to get the November referendum for a new ballpark passed,
some Padres people "are so worried" about the vote that a
few members of the board, including Calvin Hill, are already
looking at a Washington, DC, location in case they have to
move there in the 2000 ("SportsCenter," 5/20)....Sabres CEO
Tim Rigas said that the team "makes an average" of $300,000
to $350,000 per home playoff game. A trip to the Stanley
Cup finals would mean up to $4M in net revenues "for a team
that is struggling" with an $81M debt (BUFFALO NEWS, 5/20).
QUESTIONING A FULL HOUSE: In Tacoma, Frank Hughes wrote
that the organization of the Ackerley Group, parent of Full
House Entertainment and the Sonics, has recently become
"murky." When Bill Ackerley, who oversaw "aspects" of the
Sonics Full House Entertainment (FHE), resigned two weeks
ago he cited family reasons, but sources within Ackerley say
he "resigned because he has had ongoing disputes with [his
father] Barry Ackerley about the Sonics." An Ackerley Group
spokesperson "vehemently denied" any disputes among the
family. Bill Ackerley could not be reached for comment, but
Hughes wrote that with him gone, "there has been
speculation" that FHE President John Dressel, who is close
to Bill Ackerley, "could lose his job." However, both
Dressel and an Ackerley spokesperson said Tuesday that "that
was not the case" (Tacoma NEWS TRIBUNE, 5/20).